Pure Storm Limited Review

0range

0range

Hall of Fame
I switched to PSL for more precision (smaller head and denser string pattern)... and I got that! When I hit groundies with it many balls landed right on the baseline (tho a few were a little long so i gotta adjust the string)... so it has good penetration.

Overall, I'm very happy with the power and precision. I noticed many said the racquet is low on power.. and I just'd like to add that, I have very long and fast swing, so I'm probably more suited to low power racquet.
 
Mdubb23

Mdubb23

Hall of Fame
DonBot said:
The PSL really has that classic babolat feel to it, I think it might be due to the woofers.
Click to expand...

That classic Babolat feel? Uh, Babolat has been making racquets since 1994. And they didn't add Woofer until 1999. Classic, not really.
 
K

Kevo

Legend
0range said:
To OP, does all three of your racquets have the exact same weight/balance? Did you measure the balance?
Click to expand...

Yes, I measured the weight and balance, and they are the same. Well, at least by my measurements. I have a nice digital scale, but my balance board is homemade.

Anyway, I did ask TW to pick three that matched when I bought them. The specs were right on the money with Babolat's numbers. My only compliant with them is the butt caps started moving around and making noise during hitting. After talking to Babolat, they gave me the impression if I sent them in, I might get them back exactly the same, so I decided to fix them myself.

I added two more staples on the long face of the handle, and that pretty much took care of the problem. I believe the problem to be that the caps are maybe a hair too big, or the plastic is just a bit too soft. Either way the problem is pretty much gone now. This is the first issue I've had like this on a Babolat frame, and it's a bit disappointing that they wouldn't take care of it since it happened on all 3 frames.
 
K

Kevo

Legend
I wouldn't say it's small, but it is low. It's similar to the ProStaff where the sweet spot goes from just above center almost to the throat. It's almost surprising how sweet the lower portion of the head is. Even the shots I hit off my vibe dampener tend to go where I want.

My results are based off of full poly. I've yet to try a multi of even full syn gut in them yet. Maybe I should try that actually. I'm getting excellent string life out of the polys in this frame.
 
Mdubb23

Mdubb23

Hall of Fame
Kevo said:
I wouldn't say it's small, but it is low. It's similar to the ProStaff where the sweet spot goes from just above center almost to the throat. It's almost surprising how sweet the lower portion of the head is. Even the shots I hit off my vibe dampener tend to go where I want.

My results are based off of full poly. I've yet to try a multi of even full syn gut in them yet. Maybe I should try that actually. I'm getting excellent string life out of the polys in this frame.
Click to expand...

Agreed, it was on the lower half of the string bed. I use full multi (Tecnifibre X-one 17g) and got the same results.
 
stician

stician

Semi-Pro
using gut brought the sweetspot higher and like any frame I use with gut, the SS is always larger. I love the control with this frame and the low swing weight allows for some serious racquet head acceleration, when needed.
 
D

Deleted member 19728

Guest
Mdubb23 said:
That classic Babolat feel? Uh, Babolat has been making racquets since 1994. And they didn't add Woofer until 1999. Classic, not really.
Click to expand...

Great logic
Btw tennis magazine calls the pure drive a classic, 9 years of woofer? Christ you make it sound like the racquet came out last week, so I guess there are no classic graphite raquets since they have not been around for 30 years. The raquet feels like a babolat when you strike the ball, and yes 9 years is long enough to make a raquet a classic.
 
D

dktracer

New User
Here are my 2 cents on this racquet.

One of my racquets is strung up with Pro Hurricane Tour @ 55 pounds and I like the racquet. Ground strokes are great, all the hits/shots feel crisp and is placed where I want it to be. I have great accuracy when it comes to serves, I am able to hit the corners and the "T" of the service box much more than with my main racquet (K90). Overall, the racquet is good, but not great. Its a no frills racquet, but definitely a fun racquet to play with.

My second PSL, I currently have strung up with OG Sheep @ 50 #, and I'm not a fan of the racquet with this string. It doesn't have that nice crisp feel I get with PHT and I'm probably gonna cut it out soon.

I do enjoy playing with this racquet, but like I said it doesn't do anything "better" than my trusty K90. For those of you who have used a K90, the ball just reacts different than most racquets out there. It has that "heavier" ball bounce, balls stay low, and slide.

I tried getting that same feel with the PSL by leading it up, and it changed the characteristic of the racquet unfavorable to me. If I gave it more time, I may have gotten used to it but I didn't want to do that.

I recommend this racquet especially for those who loved Babolats but have been burned with injuries when playing with their racquets. I find it the most comfortable Bab yet. Finally, you won't get the super spin of a APD nor the power of a PD, but possibly a scaled down version of their racquets, where you have a lot of control.
 
D

db379

Hall of Fame
I finally put my hands on a demo of the PSL. I just had a chance to hit on the wall so far. This is already enough to say this one is going to be a nice frame. I found it too light in stock form, so I leaded it by roughly 15g. It feels much nicer and I really like the flex, it reminds me of a more traditional stick but a bit stiffer. I would say it feels similar to the tour 10 for those who know it, very nice stick and very similar flex. Control seems very good (this is what it's supposed to be good at...) and power is what you'd expect for this type of frame, just enough if you hit with full strokes and use your legs well enough. Sweetspot is not huge but the 95 head size allows room for off-centred balls. Should be interesting in actual play conditions ...
 
D

danb

Professional
I bought two of them. I used to use the K90 but never happy with my forehand technique I wanted to try a racquet that doesn't "help" you muscle the ball.
Like they say, careful what you wish for.
I got just that. Now I have to imporve my hideous forehand technique. On the backhand I am happy (1HBH) but on the serve I don't get a lot of power (I know, technique).
This stick is precise and very easy to handle (you can easily swing). Good shots (sweet spot) are greately rewarded and I can volley balls I used to miss.
I am a 4.0 in CA.
 
R

rxblitzrx

Rookie
I've been playing this racquet for about a month now. I started out loving the extreme headlight feel but now I'm experimenting with the lead at 3,9 or 2,10. This was prompted by 30 minutes of play with my old Pro Staff Classic 6.1. The extra swingweight of the PSC had awesome plough through the ball and it sounds like a little lead will give the PSL that same effect.

I'm glad I read the comparisons to the K Blade Tour on here because I was also considering that same trade after wanting to find something closer to my PSC 6.1.
 
T

Teo829

New User
Hey I'm giving the Pure Storm Limited a try and will provide a review in a few days.

That is Pure Storm Ltd. with "Pro Supex Blue Gear 17L at 58 lbs of tension!

:twisted:

Information soon to come by me, a user switching from an n90 16 x 19 to the awesome 18 x 20 top-spin pattern.
 
supermario343

supermario343

Hall of Fame
Teo829 said:
Hey I'm giving the Pure Storm Limited a try and will provide a review in a few days.

That is Pure Storm Ltd. with "Pro Supex Blue Gear 17L at 58 lbs of tension!

:twisted:

Information soon to come by me, a user switching from an n90 16 x 19 to the awesome 18 x 20 top-spin pattern.
Click to expand...

Im anxious to read your review bc ive wanted to try this racquet as well...only problem is id lead it up to around to at least 12.5 oz lol
 
T

Teo829

New User
Pure Storm LTD impression.

Teo829 said:
Hey I'm giving the Pure Storm Limited a try and will provide a review in a few days.

That is Pure Storm Ltd. with "Pro Supex Blue Gear 17L at 58 lbs of tension!

:twisted:

Information soon to come by me, a user switching from an n90 16 x 19 to the awesome 18 x 20 top-spin pattern.
Click to expand...

Got my Babolat PS Ltd. racket today and played for 4 hours. The first impression I had on this racket was the nice yellowish orange paint-job and the creative imprint of the text "Storm". The 4 & 1/2 grip design was more comfortable then my Wilson Ncode 6.1 Tour 90's (also 4 &1/2) because near the butt handle of the PS limited is a larger cushion material that holds my palm steady, providing me with a more secure grip. Honestly, this racket feels a whole lot better in my hand.

The next thing I noticed about this racket is the lightness of its head weight (8 pts HL), Jesus all eight heads!! If the ball contacts the small sweet spot of the racket (very middle and slightly below that), my hits are clean and goes deep into the baseline with a massive amount of spin. But if I hit from the top or side of the string-beds, the ball sails. I had the same issue with my n90 and lead tape solved the problem, hmm maybe it will work for the PS Ltd too.

Net play was exceptional and I thought it was comfortable to maneuver near the net thanks to the provided head light status and the so-called 305 swing-weight based on TW specs, although I think this category may fall somewhere from 310 - 320, just me. My volleys were precise with little effort on my part and it is true like what other reviewers have said about the ease of slicing the ball with the PS Ltd. I will point out that my slices were suddenly ridiculous as the ball itself kicked hard in the opposite direction only to leave my rally partner in utter dismay. I've never been able to pull this off before so kudos to me.

I did notice a distinct improvement on my volleys and net play with the PS Ltd because of the generous swing weight. And of course, the n90 can not even compare in this category because of it's heavy "paddle board feel" not only at net but baseline as well.

Serves were ok but nothing special..yet! I have yet to experience the full potential of this racket so I will not comment on that..ahem..lead tape.

Well back to the head light issue. I will definitely go with lead tape at the 9 & 3 o' clock position (will experiment w/ 3-5 grams ea. side) so I could have more stability and control on my hits, since many other similar reviewers suggested this modification for the increase in head weight as well. So far, my top spins are easily generated but I feel that there is a room for greater potential with this racket..lead tape!

Note: The racket plays very similar to the Wilson's K-Blade 93 because of the similar specs but I still question the integrity of the the K-Blade tour 93's frame composition (frame cracking issues).

Back to the n90 comparison, I would say the PS Lmt. showed a bigger improvement on my game. I felt more comfortable in the courts because I had the option to maneuver about the court and swing all out to generate the nastiest of top spins and slices. All that is left for me is the additional lead tape and the frame will be solid. So I'm not hating on the n90, it's great in it's own perspective but the Pure Storm Limited wins on my terms!

My last words? Hmm..lead tape baby!! :eek:
 
T

Teo829

New User
Wow adding the lead tape ( 5 grams) at both sides, 3 and 9 o' clock transformed this Babolat PS Ltd. racket into something quite nice. My spins were more heavy and the balance and stability upon striking the ball was more control-oriented. The racket head torqued/ twisted less than before and this was very noticeable. The down side? Well it slightly lost some of the original pop after adding lead tape but oh well, stability is more important.

After 3 hours of play, I was worn out and exhausted compared to before w/o lead tape which I lasted 4 hours before noticing any fatigue.

There's my complete review.

Last words. I highly recommend that you do NOT string a full poly bed (Pro Supex Blue Gear 17L) at anywhere above 56 lbs. It will req. you to muscle the ball to achieve a descent topspin unless your fit =p. This didn't give me TE but wore out my muscle nerves in the fore arm relatively fast.

:):):):)
 
Schills

Schills

Rookie
I think this racket holds the record for shortest amount of time ever for a demo for me. It just felt dead. No zip or oomph on anything. I'm not a big customizer and i suspect that this racket really needs some customization for most people to use it.
 
K

Kevo

Legend
Schills said:
I think this racket holds the record for shortest amount of time ever for a demo for me. It just felt dead. No zip or oomph on anything. I'm not a big customizer and i suspect that this racket really needs some customization for most people to use it.
Click to expand...

This racquet is not really designed for most people IMO. I think it's made for a certain type of player. It's more suited to zip and oomph control. Kind of the opposite end of the spectrum from a Pure Drive.

Even saying all of that, it's not a dead frame. It does have a little zing in it, but it's mostly center and below on the string bed, so if you're not used to that it would require a bit of an adjustment.
 
R

rxblitzrx

Rookie
@ Kevo: have you tried tensions lower than 55 lbs? I've had the same X1 Biphase 17 in my racquet for about a month now and I feel like it plays better than when I first put them on. I'm wondering how much the tension has dropped, but it's definitely more comfortable. It has the added power I was liking in the Microgel Radical but keeping the wonder HL feel. Three and a half hours on court last weekend and my arm never got tired.
 
K

Kevo

Legend
I tend to hit pretty hard with a lot of spin, so I like full poly the best. I am using Competition at 55lbs. right now. I've tried it from 53 - 57 with full poly and 55 seems to be the best tension for me.

I imagine with X1 I'd probably bump it up a bit, but if you like them a little more loose, go with it. Keep in mind that after a month the strings are going to be a little less resilient and more worn, so that may be the reason the feel is changing.
 
R

rxblitzrx

Rookie
Just a comment about this racquet:

I'm really glad I stuck with the PSL. I was really considering switching to the Microgel Radical MidPlus for the added power, but my arm gets so tired with that racquet. The PSL's best quality is the extreme head light balance. Once you get used to the timing, it's a pure joy to hit with!

The other great quality is that you get out, exactly what you put in. If you step into a shot, hit with your legs and body rotation, and add the precision of this racquet, you have a recipe for deadly winners. Depth control is also very easy to accomplish with this racquet; deep or short.

I noticed that creating spin with this racquet is much easier than I originally thought. I think the key is the way you play the racquet. You have to take advantage of the head light balance and flick your wrist. My strokes have always been more of a whippy motion, so this racquet fits me very well.

ok. just wanted to comment because I just got off court and noticed that my game is improving. i love this sport!
 
B

blackdot_fit

New User
rxblitzrx said:
Just a comment about this racquet:

I'm really glad I stuck with the PSL. I was really considering switching to the Microgel Radical MidPlus for the added power, but my arm gets so tired with that racquet. The PSL's best quality is the extreme head light balance. Once you get used to the timing, it's a pure joy to hit with!

The other great quality is that you get out, exactly what you put in. If you step into a shot, hit with your legs and body rotation, and add the precision of this racquet, you have a recipe for deadly winners. Depth control is also very easy to accomplish with this racquet; deep or short.

I noticed that creating spin with this racquet is much easier than I originally thought. I think the key is the way you play the racquet. You have to take advantage of the head light balance and flick your wrist. My strokes have always been more of a whippy motion, so this racquet fits me very well.

ok. just wanted to comment because I just got off court and noticed that my game is improving. i love this sport!
Click to expand...

you took the words right out of my mouth!

i strayed away from the PSL for a few weeks to find what i thought was my true, "holy grail", but i just recently found that i've had it all along! i've demoed tons of racquets from TW (and will continute to do so,) but, so far there has been nothing to truly keep me away.

i did, however, like the Dunlop 4D 200, though. i'm also thinking about a Prince SP black as a doubles stick.

oh, and btw, it's official----

I HATE THE WOOFER SYSTEM!

it just takes too much feel away from the frame! i like the feel more graphite, and less technology, you know?
:)
 
goosala

goosala

Hall of Fame
All you need is five inches of 1/2 inch lead tape at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and this frame will be rock solid on groundstrokes and serves. The added weight helps with the stability since 10 points headlight is a lot of weight in the handle.
 
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